SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – San Francisco just hosted the weekend-long Portola Music Festival and many others gathered to share their kinks at the Folsom Street Fair.
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The uptick in outdoor events signals a more relaxed attitude at this stage in the pandemic, but may be concerning as we head into fall and this year's flu season.
"We've given up so much in the last, almost, three years now," said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of medicine and infectious disease expert at the UCSF School of Medicine on KCBS Radio’s "Ask an Expert" with Melissa Culross on Monday. "It's understandable that people want to get back a semblance of what they gave up."
Right now is actually the best time to do just that, as we're experiencing for the first time a lull in the number of COVID-19 cases for a period of five months or so since the last surge.
And although outdoor events are not as risky, many of these outdoor events are associated with indoor gatherings as well.
"That's why you might see a few cases pop up," said Chin-Hong.
People should also consider that while there is a lull in the Bay Area, with events like Folsom in particular, many are coming from all over the world to attend, and could be bringing the virus with them.
"Europe is experiencing the beginnings of a winter surge right now in some countries like Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Denmark," he said.
In the Bay Area at least there has been a 30% decrease in the number of infections in the Bay Area in the last week, which is a pretty rapid decline.
A lot of this has to do with vaccinations and boosting, but also the fact that the Bay Area had an extremely high rate of infection in the five to six months prior to now.
Despite those high rates, there were relatively low levels of hospitalizations, with no real peak like previous surges, due to hybrid immunity.
People attending these events should exercise some caution, and perhaps bring a good quality mask with them if they find themselves in a less than well-ventilated place.
Those looking to meet people or are bringing dates to these events should feel comfortable engaging in an open conversation about the vaccine, infections, and other elements of risk.
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